Meaning & use
futilely
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Meanings
adverb
In a way that has no chance of succeeding or producing any useful result.
Grammar: Usually comes before the verb or after it: she futilely protested / she protested futilely.
Patterns
- futilely try to do something
- futilely attempt something
- struggle futilely against something
He futilely tried to open the locked door.
They struggled futilely against the strong current.
She searched futilely for her keys in the dark.
adverb
Without any useful purpose or effect.
Grammar: Often used with verbs such as 'argue' or 'resist' to show wasted effort.
Patterns
- argue futilely
- resist futilely
The two sides argued futilely for hours without reaching a decision.
The small town resisted futilely as the flood water rose.
Common combinations
- try futilely
- He tried futilely to fix the old radio.
- futilely attempt
- She futilely attempted to change their minds.
- search futilely
- We searched futilely for a parking space.
- struggle futilely
- The fish struggled futilely in the net.
Synonyms and how they differ
- in vain
- Means the same and is more common in speech; 'futilely' is more formal and usually sits next to the verb.
- uselessly
- Focuses on lack of use or value, while 'futilely' stresses that success is impossible.
- pointlessly
- Suggests an action has no purpose, but not always that it is doomed to fail.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: futilely or futile? futilely or futuristic?
futilely vs futile
'Futile' is the adjective (a futile attempt); 'futilely' is the adverb (he tried futilely).
futilely vs futuristic
This means looking like the future, and is quite different in meaning from 'futilely'.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'futilely' correctly.
Choose one answer.
'Futilely' is an adverb, so it modifies the verb 'tried'. The other options put it in positions that break the sentence structure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “futilely”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.